Pencil-lead-vending machine



'M'aI ch' 1929- c. E. SMELSER PENCIL LEAD VENDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1921 1 P R W m N. 5 E M B. I 6

A TTORNE Y.

Patented Mar. 26, 192 1 UNITED STATES" CHESTER E. SMELSER, F SHELBYVILLE, INDIANA.

PENCIL-LEAD-VENDTNG MACHINE.

Applieation filed February 5, 1927. Serial No. 166,074.

The object of this invention is to feed pencil leads from a reserve supply contained in a hopper, by gravity accelerated by pressure,

into the path of a reciprocating plunger which lifts the leads one at a time to a discharge opening elevated above the lower end of the hopper bottom.

Another object is to straighten loads that may become criss-cross and discharge them thus singly from the hopper under a gate that is raised by the action of the reciprocat ing plunger against a plate to which the gate is attached and which plate also assists in dislodging the lead from the plunger.

A further object is to increase the leadcarrying and discharging efficiency of the plunger by inclining toward it the front wall of the housing against which the plunger operates.

I accomplish the above and other ObJGCtS by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1, is a vertical section of a lead. vending machine embodying my improvements, on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 2, is a fragment in vertical section on the line 22 of Fig.1.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views of the drawing.

The housing 3, as particularly shown in Fig. 1, has a front 4 which slopes inwardly from bottom to top, and near the top it is provided with a slot 5 through which the leads 6 are discharged in regulated quantities, generally one at a time, by a vertically reciprocating plunger 7 from a supply of leads contained in a hopper 8. The hopper 8 has a bottom. 9 which slopes from rear to front and itis separated from the front 4 by a slot just wide enough for the plunger 7 to slidingly operate through it. A flange 10 depends from the bottom to provide additional bearing for the plunger to work against. A guide pin 11 passes through a vertical slot in the plunger and is seated in the front 4. Apin 12 seated in the plunger 7 is connected by abar 13 with a suitable coin-controlled mechanism for manually raising the plunger (not shown).

Located in the hopper at a suitable dis tance to the rear of the housing-front 4, is a fixed vertical plate 14, the top of which is bent to form a horizontal stifiening flange 15. The ends 16 of the flange are bent down and welded to the sides of the hopper to make the attachment of the plate to the hop per secure. The plate 14 is bent upwardly and forwardly at a distance above the hopper-bottom 9 to providefor a limitec dis charge of leads under the bend. It is continued thence obliquely for about half of the distance from the main portion of plate 14, to front 4, and is then bent downwardly to form a guide plate 15"which terminates at about the same distance above the hopperbottom 9 as in the above described first bend in plate 14. One result of the above construction is the formation of a smaller leadcontaining receptacle in front of and below the main one. The discharge opening from this smaller receptacle is normally closed by a vertically movable plate 16, which has a bearing against the guide-plate 15, against which it is held by a headed stud 17 which isseated in plate 15 and passes through a slot in the plate16.

Bearing upon the top of the plate 16, and i also upon the bottom of the slot 5 in front 4, is a plate 18, here shown oblique to the horizontal, which is pressed upon its supporting members by a leaf spring 19, carriedby the plate 14.

As shown in Fig. 1, the plate 18 is in the path of the plunger 7, and plate 18 is raised by the upward travel of the plunger to the position shown in dotted lines. The top; edge of the plunger is beveled downwardly and outwardly in conjunction with the sloping front 4 forming a lead-holding channel, from which, if the lead does not discharge by gravity when it reaches the slot in front 4, it will be pushed; off by contact with the plate 18.

Ihave found in practice that where the wall 4 is vertical, two leads one above the other, are sometimes carried up by the plunger and are discharged, but by sloping the,

wall 4 inwardly as shown, the center of gravity of such second or superimposed lead will,by reason of its resulting displacement be so far to the rear of the cylindrical lead below as to cause the upper lead to roll off the lower one, into the hopper. This sloping of the wall insures that only one lead at a time is carried up and discharged by the plunger.

The vertically movable. plate 16 is raised to allow another lead to pass, by connecting plate 16 with the plate 18. This is accomplished in a desired flexible manner by forming a pair of cars 20, out of the material of Plate P g hem through suita le sl ts in the plate 18 and bending the ears down to form holding hooks, as best shown in Fig. 1.

i The leads in the main receptacle are fed down positively by the actionof a spring 21 against a follower plate 22. The plate 22 has a slightly turned-down rear edge 23 to keep the leads from working up past the plate, and at its front edge the plate 22 is provided with a top flange Q l wide enough to close the discharge opening under plate l lwhen plate 21 reaches the bottom of the hopper. A half-round bottom channel 25is preferably formed between the plate 22 and flange 24, which I have found by practice, aids materially in bringing those toward the delivery 0 ening and an outer channel between the ange and plate, and means for forcing the plate against the leads. I

2. In a vending machine for pencil leads,

having-a1 lateral delivery slot, a receptacle for leads having a floor sloping toward a delivery opening belowfthedeliverv slot, a plunger reciprocating vertically through the opening to raise leads to the delivery j slot,"a plate fixed inwardly of the receptacle and remote from the path of the plunger said plate forming aside of the receptacle and having adischarge opening near the floor, said plate alsofbeing continued out wardly and shaped to form a smaller re- Y ceptaclesaid receptacle having a discharge opening on its outer side at thefloor, a vertically movable gate-plateat the last discharge opening, and means operated by the plunger for raising and lowering the gateplet 3. In a vending machine for pencil leads,

having a lateral delivery slot, a receptacle for leads having; a floor, sloping toward a delivery opening below the delivery slot, a plunger"reciprocating vertically through the o 'eni'ng to raise lead to the delivery slot, a p ate fixed inwardly of the receptacle and remotefrom the path ofthe plunger said plate forming a side of the receptacle and having adischarge opening near the floor, said plate also" being continued outwardly and'shaped to form a smaller racepluch said receptacle having a discharge opening on its outer side at the floor, a vertically movable gate-plate at the last discharge opening, a plate in the path of the plunger hearing by spring piessure upon the gate-plate and bottom of the delivery slot, and a flexible con nection between the last two plates, whereby the gate-plate will be raised by contact of the plunger with the other )late.

4. In a pencil-lead ven ing machine, the combination with an enclosure, a base, and an operating means, of a front side of said enclosure inclined backwardly and inwardly at an acute angle with the said base and said front side having a lead discliar'e opening with a downwardl and outwar y sloping edge; a plunger slidingly retained against the inner face of said front side, said plunger having its upper end formed to make an acute angle with the inner face of said front side; means of raising and lowering said plunger; a hop or adapted to receive and hold pencil lea s, said hopper having an opening at its lowest point to permit said plunger to slide therethrougli, said opening forming a trough to receive leads onto the upper end of the plunger when said plunger is in its normal position; a s ring pressed plate in the hopper pressing own on the leads, and a spring pressed late normally contacting the lower edge 0 said discharge opening, adapted to be contacted by leads carried on said plunger to eject the leads.

5. In a pencil-lead vending machine, the combination with an enclosure and an operating means, of a backwardly inclined member having a discharge opening, a plunger adapted to slide in contact with the back face of said inclined member, said plunger having its upper end formed at an acuteangle with the back face of said inclined member; means of maintaining said plunger in contact with said inclined mun ber; means of raising and lowering said plunger; a pencil lead hopper having its bottom declined toward said inclined memher and having an opening between the bottom of said hopper and the back face of said inclined member to permit said plunger to slide therethrough; means in said be )per to maintain the pencil leads in said wpper parallel to said plunger plane; and means of e'ecting the ham s from said pllu 7 or through i: e discharge opening in said inc ined member. y

In testimon whereof I aflix in signature.

HESTER E. Sll ELSER. 

